The Tolucan Times » Rick Assadhttp://tolucantimes.info
Entertainment, Theatre Reviews, Sports, Community News and more.Thu, 30 Jul 2015 21:52:25 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Emotions high at Hall of Fame inductionhttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/emotions-high-at-hall-of-fame-induction/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/emotions-high-at-hall-of-fame-induction/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 19:50:57 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31457Though relatively short in stature at 5-foot-11 and slightly built at 170 pounds, Pedro Martinez was always bigger than life, and it was no different last Sunday in Cooperstown, New York.

On this somewhat overcast day, Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio.

Martinez, speaking in English and Spanish, said he couldn’t have imagined growing up that he would achieve the heights he did.

“I don’t know if I can find the words in Spanish or English,’’ he said. “But my God, I’m thankful. I’m thankful for everything.”

It took some effort, but Martinez, who grabbed three Cy Young awards and finished with a 219-100 record, did locate the sentiment.

“I would like all of you to not look at me as numbers, as baseball, as achievements,’’ he intoned. “I would like you to actually see me as a sign of hope for a Third World country, for Latin America, as someone you can really look up to and say, “I’m proud of you.’”

Martinez, who was signed by the Dodgers, but traded to the Montreal Expos, was a World Series champion with Boston in 2004, erasing an 86-year title drought.

Martinez, who struck out 3,154 and had a 2.93 earned-run average, became the second player from the Dominican Republic to be elected into the hall, joining Juan Marichal.

Johnson, dubbed the “Big Unit’’ because he stood 6-10, is second all-time in strikeouts with 4,875 and was a champion with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

“It’s very humbling to look back behind me and see the best who have played this game,’’ said Johnson, who went to USC and had a mark of 303-166, a 3.29 ERA with five Cy Young awards.

“So many of the reasons that I’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame are long gone now,’’ he said. “My fastball is gone. I no longer have a mullet. And my scowl is long gone. I’m so happy to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and be in the greatest fraternity of all time.”

Smoltz’s inclusion is unique in that he was a starting pitcher, reliever with 154 saves, then a starter again and compiled a 213-155 record with a 3.33 ERA and 3,084 strikeouts, and a World Series champ with Atlanta in 1995.

Another unique aspect is Smoltz, who won a Cy Young in 1996 with the Braves, is the first player to have undergone Tommy John surgery and been selected into the hallowed shrine.

“It is not something I’ve ever dreamed of but when I got the call letting me know I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, words and emotions cannot describe,’’ he said.

Biggio, who played his entire career with the Houston Astros, was one of the most versatile players. Adept behind the plate, he caught 428 games, then moved to second base where he played in 1,989 games.

In time, Biggio, a seven-time All-Star who slapped 291 home runs and drove in 1,175 runs with 414 stolen bases, would patrol the outfield, and on occasion act as the designated hitter.

“This is pretty cool, I must say,’’ said Biggio, who played at Seton Hall. “What an incredible honor it is to be standing in front of these great men. I played against a lot of them. I admired a lot of them, and I respected all of them.”

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He is a contributor to the sweetscience.com and is a columnist for fightmonger.net. Contact him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/emotions-high-at-hall-of-fame-induction/feed/0LA?Blue: Crew still sit atop divisionhttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-crew-still-sit-atop-division/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-crew-still-sit-atop-division/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 19:49:52 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31455A 10-game road trip ended with the Dodgers (56-44) dividing four games with the New York Mets, including last Sunday’s 3-2 loss as Zack Greinke had his scoreless streak halted at 45 and two-third innings after giving up a run in the third inning.

Greinke also surrendered a run in the sixth and toured seven innings, giving up four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Justin Turner’s double scored a run and Yasmani Grandal’s single plated another in the ninth for the Dodgers, who are a game in front of San Francisco in the National League West.

The game-clincher came in the 10th when one-time Dodger Juan Uribe singled to left-center that tallied Curtis Granderson, who doubled.

The Mets lashed 21 hits and pounded the Dodgers, 15-2, on Saturday as Kirk Nieuwenhuis (four hits) had four runs batted in and scored two runs, Michael Conforto (four hits) with four runs and an RBI, and Daniel Murphy (two hits) delivered three RBIs and two runs.

Joc Pederson singled, doubled and homered (21st) for the Blue Crew, while Jimmy Rollins singled and smashed a homer.

Fill-in Ian Thomas (1-1) did well as the Dodgers roughed up the Mets, 7-2 on Friday after limiting New York to three hits and one run in five frames, while Turner homered and doubled twice with two RBIs, and Rollins (two hits) scored two runs and had an RBI.

It was vintage Clayton Kershaw (8-6) as the Dodgers blanked the Mets, 3-0, on three hits on Thursday over nine innings, walking none and striking out 11.

Mike Bolsinger (5-3) ignored the taunts coming from the Atlanta dugout after not throwing many fastballs, but had the last laugh in a 3-1 win by the Dodgers on Wednesday as he toiled seven innings, surrendering three hits and one unearned run.

Chris Johnson (three hits) knocked in two runs as the Braves edged the Dodgers, 4-3, on Tuesday and backed Alex Wood (7-6), who went six and two-third innings with six hits and three runs, yielding solo blasts to Turner and Yasiel Puig.

Jace Peterson (two hits) drove in three runs while Nick Markakis (two runs and two hits) launched a two-run bomb for the Braves in a 7-5 triumph over the Dodgers on Monday, who saw Turner get four hits, Howie Kendrick single with a run and two RBIs, and Adrian Gonzalez (two hits with a run) driving in two.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-crew-still-sit-atop-division/feed/0Frampton Comes Alivehttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/frampton-comes-alive/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/frampton-comes-alive/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 12:50:47 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31397Having spent his entire boxing career in the United Kingdom, Carl Frampton wanted to spread his wings and try his hand in the United States.

This past Saturday at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas, the Northern Ireland native rallied after being knocked down twice in the opening round, walked away with a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Jr., and retained his International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight title.

‘The performance wasn’t great and I really wanted a knockout, but I’ll take the win.’-Carl Frampton, Boxer

“I was just shocked at what happened. That’s never happened before,’’ said Frampton, who raised his record to 21-0 with 14 knockouts. “My legs were stiff and I couldn’t use my toes for a while, but it was a flash knockdown. I came back and I won.”

Frampton agreed this wasn’t his best effort, but was pleased to come away with a triumph. “The performance wasn’t great and I really wanted a knockout, but I’ll take the win,” he said.

Gonzalez’s initial knockdown of Frampton came early via a left jab, while the second caught him with a right hook late in the round.

Even so, Judges Carlos Colon and Joel Elizondo each scored the 12-round bout 116-108, and Carlos Ortiz Jr. had it 115-109, but Gonzalez was spry early and scored with body shots.

Gonzalez (25-2-2 and 15 KO’s) did well in the first three rounds, but the tide changed in the fourth when Frampton pounded the body, which made it easier to probe the head.

From that point forward, Frampton dominated the flow, while Gonzalez, who had two points deducted for lows blows by referee Mark Calo-Oy, had to counter punch in order to score.

Frampton’s strategy was to drill the body and work the head, while Gonzalez was on his heels for much of the fight.

In the undercard, Riverside heavyweight contender Chris Arreola faced Frederic Kassi in a 10-round affair that was declared a majority draw.

Kassi, who hails from Cameroon but resides in New Orleans, said he should have been given the nod.

“I’m not happy with the decision,’’ he said. “I won every round. They don’t know me. I wanted to show them what I could do.”

Kassi did seem to land the more effective and punishing blows against Arreola, and was more active.

Arreola, who is Mexican-American, did have his time in the sun as he jarred Kassi a few times, but was hardly impressive.

His name recognition certainly helped as Judge Jerry Venzor favored Arreola, 96-94, while Jesse Reyes and Raul Valencia both scored it 95-95.

Arreola looked sharp in the opening round before Kassi (18-3-1 with 10 KO’s) landed a right to the chin, and had a productive second round and a fruitful third as he landed an upper cut.

Arreola (36-4-1 and 31 KO’s) found the range in the fourth, with the fifth round being close. The first half of the sixth went to Arreola, and the latter half going to Kassi.

Arreola had the edge in the seventh and ninth rounds, while Kassi looked better in the eighth and 10th.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/frampton-comes-alive/feed/0LA Blue: Dodgers fast out of the gatehttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-dodgers-fast-out-of-the-gate/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-dodgers-fast-out-of-the-gate/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 12:48:24 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31393With the 86th All-Star Game in Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park concluded, the second half of the season is underway as the Dodgers nabbed two of three games from host Washington this past weekend.

With National League All-Star starting pitcher Zack Greinke on the mound, he increased his scoreless streak to 43 and two-third innings after blanking the Nationals, 5-0, over eight innings on Sunday.

“He’s been doing a great job the whole season,’’ said Howie Kendrick, who collected three hits of Greinke. “It’s been fun playing behind him.’’

The Dodgers (53-40) broke the game open in the ninth inning by tallying four runs as Andre Ethier (three hits and two runs) had a single that produced a run batted in, as did A.J. Ellis, while Yasiel Puig had a two-run single.

The first run came in the fourth when Ethier led off with a double, advanced to third base on Yasmani Grandal’s sacrifice, and scored when Max Scherzer (10-8) uncorked a wild pitch.

Scherzer, who tossed a no-hitter earlier in the season versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, struck out eight and walked one with seven hits and one run across six innings, but Greinke was better, lowering his big-league best earned-run average to 1.30.

Greinke (9-2), who allowed a leadoff homer to the Angels’ Mike Trout, the All-Star MVP, fanned four with one walk in two innings as the American League beat the NL, 6-3, struck out a season-high 11, walked one and gave up three hits.

Clayton Kershaw, coming off the loss in the Midsummer Classic after yielding two runs, three hits with one strikeout and one walk in one frame, bounced back on Saturday after shutting out the Nationals over eight frames and won 4-2.

Kershaw (7-6) whiffed a season-best 14, issuing no walks with three hits, and dropped his ERA to 2.68.

In a game suspended after five innings on Friday because a bank of lights went out, the Nationals claimed a 5-3 decision over the Dodgers on Saturday as Yunel Escobar doubled twice and homered with two RBIs and two runs scored, but the game-winner was Matt den Dekker’s two-run blast in the eighth.

Adrian Gonzalez singled, homered (19th) and drove in three while scoring two runs for the Dodgers, who tied it at 3-3 in the sixth.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-dodgers-fast-out-of-the-gate/feed/0Bombers remain on tophttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/bombers-remain-on-top/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/bombers-remain-on-top/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 13:36:48 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31302Last place in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox hosted the first-place New York Yankees this past weekend at storied Fenway Park, and couldn’t have been too pleased with the results after dropping two of three games.

The Yankees gained a game before heading into the All-Star break, while Boston (42-47), six and a half games back, lost ace Clay Buchholz (7-7), who left with one out in the fourth inning of Friday’s 5-1 defeat.

Both teams have capable hitters, but the Yankees (48-40), who are three and a half games in front of second-place Tampa Bay, have more consistent boppers like Mark Teixeira…

Buchholz, who allowed six hits and three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and no walks, was placed on the disabled list.

This is the first time since 2012 that the Yankees sit atop the division heading into the Midsummer Classic, and manager Joe Girardi is thrilled. “I think we have a pretty good idea of who we are,’’ he said after Sunday’s 8-6 triumph.

Both teams have capable hitters, but the Yankees (48-40), who are three and a half games in front of second-place Tampa Bay, have more consistent boppers like Mark Teixeira, who leads the AL in runs batted in with 62 and has 22 homers, and Alex Rodriguez, who homered in two games and has 18 with 51 RBIs.

In Sunday’s win by New York, the go-ahead runs were scored in the sixth inning when Rodriguez doubled to make it 6-4.

The Bombers went ahead by four runs in the ninth when Rob Refsnyder cracked a two-run homer over the Green Monster in left field.

Refsnyder, who was born in South Korea, was adopted by an American family in Southern California, went to the University of Arizona, and had his first big league hit in the seventh when he singled.

Brian McCann (two hits with two runs tallied) also homered (14th) for the Yankees and drove in two runs and has 55 RBIs.

Nathan Eovaldi (9-2) went five innings, surrendering seven hits and three runs, striking out four and walking none, while Wade Miley (8-8) lasted five and one-third innings, whiffing two, walking none, yielding six runs and seven hits.

Boston took Saturday’s game 5-3 as Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2) toiled six and one-third innings, giving up five hits and two runs with two strikeouts and one walk.

After Rodriguez’s two-out homer to left in the opening frame, the Red Sox evened it at 1-1 in the third on Ryan Hanigan’s grounder.

Hanley Ramirez, a one-time Dodger, who had two hits, lined a two-run blast to right field (19th) in the fourth to make it 3-1, before Jacoby Ellsbury’s one-out homer to right center in the sixth closed the gap to 3-2.

Mookie Betts (two hits and a run) had a run-scoring triple in the seventh that made it 5-2 and scored Xander Bogaerts, who had an RBI infield single.

The Yankees responded with Ellsbury (three hits and two runs) getting a two-out infield hit in the eighth, and Brett Gardner knocking him in with a double that cut it to 5-3.

In Friday’s matchup, Rodriguez drilled a first inning shot over the Monster, singled and delivered an RBI with a bases-loaded walk, while Gardner and Ellsbury each singled in a run.

Michael Pineda (9-5) gave up seven hits and one run with six strikeouts and no walks in six and two-third frames, and allowed an RBI to Betts in the fifth.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He is a contributor to thesweetscience.com and is a columnist for fightmonger.net. Contact him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/bombers-remain-on-top/feed/0LA Blue: Crew’s productive weekhttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-crews-productive-week/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-crews-productive-week/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 13:11:10 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31299Finishing with a flourish before the All-Star Game was important for the Dodgers (51-39), who went 5-2 this past week, and are four and a half games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West.

Adrian Gonzalez’s two-run homer (18th) in the eighth inning on Sunday at Dodger Stadium gave the Blue Crew a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee.

Justin Turner (two singles and a double) used a base hit in the first to knot it at 1-1, and A.J. Ellis slapped a solo homer in the fifth.

The Brewers’ three-run seventh broke it open against the Dodgers, who lost 7-1, on Saturday as Carlos Gomez had a bases-loaded double in the third that scored three runs, a two-run double in the seventh and finished with five runs batted in, while the Dodgers’ run was driven in by Enrique Hernandez.

The Dodgers squeaked by the Brewers, 3-2, on Friday as Joc Pederson singled and doubled with an RBI, while pinch hitter Andre Ethier had a two-run single in the seventh.

Zack Greinke (8-2) toiled eight shutout innings, struck out eight, walked none, with one hit in a 6-0 masterpiece for the Blue Crew against visiting Philadelphia on Thursday, and was named the NL starting pitcher in the Midsummer Classic.

Clayton Kershaw, who lost out to St. Louis pitcher Carlos Martinez in the All-Star fan voting, put in a stellar performance for the Dodgers versus the Phillies, who fell 5-0 on Wednesday.

The reigning NL MVP, Kershaw (6-6) fanned a season-best 13 without a walk and eight hits over nine frames, and was added to the squad on Sunday.

Jimmy Rollins (two hits including a double and two runs) belted a three-run homer in the third while Ellis cracked a two-run shot in the second.

Jeff Francoeur doubled, homered, scored two runs and drove in three for the Phillies, who turned back the Dodgers, 7-2, on Tuesday, while Ben Revere (two hits with a run) contributed two RBIs.

In a roller coaster 10-7 win by the Dodgers over Philadelphia on Monday, Rollins, Yasmani Grandal and Pederson were the hitting stars.

Grandal’s three-run bomb in the fifth tied it at 6-6, and Rollins (two hits with two runs) added a two-run single in the seventh, and Pederson’s double knocked in a run in the same frame.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la-blue-crews-productive-week/feed/0Crew remain a bit flathttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/crew-remain-a-bit-flat/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/crew-remain-a-bit-flat/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 14:01:24 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31249It’s extremely fortunate the Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in their starting rotation, and though only Greinke picked up a victory this past weekend at Dodger Stadium versus the New York Mets, the Blue Crew (46-37) would be doomed if either or both weren’t in the lineup.

The other hurlers include Mike Bolsinger (4-3), Brett Anderson (5-4), and Carlos Frias (5-5), who was placed on the disabled list, but because the Dodgers have the highest payroll in baseball, a move to acquire another pitcher before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seems a certainty.

The Dodgers, who are 29-20 in the division and 28-15 at home, lost to the Mets 8-0 on Sunday after mustering two hits off Steven Matz (2-0) across six innings, while Bolsinger was rocked for nine hits and four runs over five innings.

Enrique Hernandez, Justin Turner and A.J. Ellis each singled for the Dodgers, while the Mets (42-41) cracked 15 hits as Wilmer Flores had four hits including two doubles, drove in three and scored a run, while Juan Lagares added a single, triple with a run scored and knocked in two.

It could be argued Greinke (7-2), who claimed a Cy Young trophy with the Kansas City Royals in 2009, is an elite pitcher and leads the majors with a 1.48 earned-run average.

Greinke’s seven-inning scoreless stint in a 4-3 victory against New York on Saturday included four strikeouts and no walks with four hits.

The slender right-hander from Florida hasn’t given up a run in a career-best 27 and two-third innings.

The Dodgers pulled ahead 1-0 in the second inning when Jimmy Rollins hit a grounder that brought in Yasiel Puig, who doubled.

It became 2-0 in the fifth when Adrian Gonzalez slapped his 15th homer, and 3-0 in the same frame after Alberto Callaspo had a run-producing single.

It ballooned to 4-0 in the seventh when Callaspo’s base hit tallied Yasmani Grandal, who lashed a two-base hit.

The Mets chopped into the lead with a two-run eighth when Lucas Duda, a USC product, had a run-scoring double, while Flores tacked on a single for a run batted in.

It became 4-3 in the ninth when Lagares hit a scoring fly, but reliever J.P. Howell retired Curtis Granderson on a strikeout to record the save.

Kershaw (5-6), a three-time Cy Young winner and defending NL Most Valuable Player, gave up five hits and one run with seven strikeouts and two walks in seven innings on Friday, but the Dodgers fell to the Mets, 2-1.

Gonzalez hit a homer in the second, while New York evened it at 1-1 in the fourth when Flores, who had three hits, drove in a run.

The 1-1 stalemate was broken in the ninth when Kevin Plawecki’s sacrifice fly plated Duda, who doubled to leadoff the frame.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He is a contributor to thesweetscience.com and is a columnist for fightmonger.net. Contact him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/crew-remain-a-bit-flat/feed/0LA?Blue: Blue remains merely averagehttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-blue-remains-merely-average/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-blue-remains-merely-average/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 13:55:59 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31247Safely home after a 10-game road trip, the Dodgers (46-37) lost two of three contests to the New York Mets this past weekend and were blanked last Sunday, 8-0, behind rookie Steven Matz (2-0), who ventured six innings and allowed two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Wilmer Flores (four hits with one run) and Juan Lagares (two hits and one run) combined to drive in five runs for the Mets, who pounded 15 hits. Flores had three runs batted in and Lagares had two.

The Dodgers escaped with a 4-3 decision on Saturday over New York as Zack Greinke (7-2) raised his scoreless innings streak to 27 and two-third after toiling seven frames, surrendering four hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The Blue Crew led 1-0 in the second after Jimmy Rollins grounded out, and it swelled to 3-0 in the fifth when Adrian Gonzalez belted a solo homer and Alberto Callaspo added an RBI single. Callaspo later contributed a run-scoring hit in the seventh that brought in Yasmani Grandal, who doubled.

Clayton Kershaw pitched well but had a no-decision in Friday’s 2-1 Dodgers’ loss to the Mets after working seven innings and allowing five hits and one run with seven strikeouts and two walks, while Gonzalez’s second inning homer was the Boys in Blue’s lone tally.

The Dodgers left the desert with a 4-3 win over Arizona on Wednesday as Brett Anderson (5-4) went seven innings and yielded seven hits and one run with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Howie Kendrick pounded four hits and had two RBIs with a run, and Grandal four RBIs as it took the Dodgers 10 innings to subdue the Diamondbacks, 6-4, on Tuesday.

Grandal’s two-run double in the extra frame was part of a three-run stanza for the Dodgers, who led 2-1 after two innings as Grandal clubbed a two-run homer (12th).

Joc Pederson delivered two singles, while Yasiel Puig accounted for a single and a double with a run.

The Diamondbacks scored four runs in the eighth and secured a 10-6 triumph over the Dodgers on Monday as David Peralta, Paul Goldschmidt, Yasmany Tomas and Nick Ahmed each drove in two runs.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-blue-remains-merely-average/feed/0Halos have real confidencehttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/halos-have-real-confidence/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/halos-have-real-confidence/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 18:57:39 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31180During the course of a baseball season, there are twists and turns, but for the Angels there have been far more lows than highs.

This past weekend the Halos hosted the Seattle Mariners, and each was expected to contend for the American League West title.

Perhaps the three-game series won’t mean anything, then again it may push-start the Angels, a club with a great deal of talent, but who have been mired in mediocrity.

All three games were close including Sunday’s 3-2 extra-inning contest the Angels claimed in the 10th inning when Kole Calhoun, who singled, scored on a wild pitch.

“When I saw the ball go to the backstop, I just took off running,’’ said Calhoun, who is batting .262 with seven homers and 35 runs batted in. “This was a big win. Hopefully it can get us going.”

The Angels (39-37) are four games behind the surprising first-place Houston Astros in the division.

Sometimes something small like scoring the winning run on a wild pitch can pave the way for a prosperous stretch.

Ahead 2-1 entering the ninth, the Mariners (34-42) tied it when Corey Seager lined a homer to right field, which was deflating, but the Angels kept their poise.

Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Nelson Cruz’s double to center field brought in Franklin Gutierrez, who singled.

The Angels evened it at 1-1 in the seventh when David Freese was hit by a pitch. Kyle Kubitza came on as a pinch runner, went to second base on a wild pitch, third base on Daniel Robertson’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on pinch hitter Erick Aybar’s base hit.

The Angels extended their lead to 2-1 in the eighth when Calhoun’s single scored Taylor Featherston, who singled, and then advanced to second on Johnny Giavotella’s sacrifice bunt.

In the Angels’ 4-2 triumph on Saturday both Garrett Richards (8-5), who is coming off knee surgery and J.A. Happ battled deep into the fray.

So far, Richards looks like his old self and is the Angels’ most effective pitcher with a 3.54 earned-run average.

Richards yielded seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk with two runs over seven and two-third frames, while Happ (3-5) gave up five hits in seven innings, four runs with six strikeouts and two walks.

The scoring began when Calhoun hit a two-run homer in the first inning before Mike Zunino sliced the lead in half in the sixth after hitting a one-out single, went to third on Logan Morrison’s single and scored on a wild pitch.

Giavotella’s bases-loaded single scored a run and Carlos Perez had a run-scoring grounder in the seventh as the Angels led 4-1, before Zunino’s solo blast in the eighth trimmed the lead in half.

Mike Trout’s 19th homer in the first inning to right field was the Angels’ only tally in a 3-1 loss to the Mariners on Friday as Brad Miller (two doubles and a single) plated one-time Angel Mark Trumbo, who doubled in the fifth, while Cruz (single and double) had a two-base hit in the sixth that scored Austin Jackson, who singled, and Robinson Cano added a solo homer in the eighth.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He is a staff writer for socalboxing.wordpress.com and a columnist for fightmonger.net. Contact him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

]]>http://tolucantimes.info/sports/halos-have-real-confidence/feed/0LA?Blue: Blue hopes to wake uphttp://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-blue-hopes-to-wake-up/
http://tolucantimes.info/sports/la%e2%80%88blue-blue-hopes-to-wake-up/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 18:51:55 +0000http://tolucantimes.info/?p=31178A 10-game, three-city road trip is more than half over for the Dodgers, who went 4-3 this past week after tripping up Miami, 2-0, on Sunday as Zack Greinke navigated seven and two-third innings.

Greinke (6-2) struck out six with four hits and one walk, while closer Kenley Jansen earned his 11th save after fanning two and surrendering one hit in one inning.

Howie Kendrick had two hits and one run, but his fifth inning force out gave the Dodgers (43-34) a 1-0 lead, and Adrian Gonzalez (three hits) had a run-scoring double in the seventh that made it 2-0.

Clayton Kershaw (5-6) allowed three runs (one earned) across seven innings as the Dodgers were 3-2 losers to the Marlins on Saturday.

Kershaw struck out nine with no walks, while Justin Turner (two hits) cracked a solo homer (11th) in the first and Gonzalez’s single drove in a run in the fourth.

Kendrick (four hits with a run batted in), Jimmy Rollins, who had two RBIs, Scott Van Slyke (two-run homer with two runs) and Gonzalez (two hits with a run) paced the Dodgers to a 7-1 rout of Miami on Friday.

Kendrick’s two-run double and Rollins’ two singles with a run and an RBI lifted the Blue Crew past Chicago, 4-0, on Thursday.

Turner cracked a three-run shot, Gonzalez a solo homer and Joc Pederson singled, scored and had an RBI as the Dodgers pushed aside the Cubs, 5-2, on Wednesday.

Chris Denorfia’s two-out sacrifice fly in the 10th scored Matt Szczur, who reached on an infield hit as Chicago prevailed, 1-0, over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Kris Bryant slapped a two-run homer in the third and added a solo smash in the eighth for the Cubs who took out the Dodgers 4-2 on Monday as Kershaw was tagged with the loss after giving up four hits and three runs in seven innings, striking out nine and walking two.

The Dodgers’ only runs came on solo homers by Enrique Hernandez in the third and Pederson in the ninth (team-best 19th).